In this house there has been much wrapping of presents and stamping of envelopes. Last night we finally slipped all our Christmas cards into the mailbox just before bedtime - so our American cards will be arriving very late this year! But not as late as some years... I never sent Christmas cards AT ALL until I moved to England, where the custom is even more culturally ingrained than in America. When I moved here, 5 years ago, I slowly became absorbed into the culture of card-exchange, but so far I still haven't gotten good at it. This year I'm just proud that my cards were all sent before Christmas instead of afterwards! (Some years I've gone ahead and sent them days or weeks after Christmas had passed. Other years, I've bought cards, written them, never got around to mailing them before Christmas and then just ended up recycling all of them because I was too embarrassed to send them late...oh well!)

And of course I'm now nervous, writing this public entry, that someone will read it, expect to receive a card from me in the next couple weeks, and then not get one! So I should reiterate: I'm really bad with Christmas cards! Even if I sent one to you last year, I might not have remembered to do it this year, and I swear it wouldn't mean anything about the depth of our friendship. I'm just disorganized when it comes to cards! It's a malfunctioning part of my brain. I'm good at being organized when it comes to writing and even to marketing. I'm organized when it comes to dog-care, dates with friends, and other things I really care about. But when it comes to those little elements of social grace like Christmas cards, thank-you cards, etc....well, it isn't pretty. Sigh. I am getting better though, slowly but surely. Maybe around the time I turn 70, people will look up to me as a domestic goddess....coughcoughcoughNOT LIKELY!

As a celebration of my minor domestic achievement, though, I went out for coffee this morning with Justina, her partner, and their gorgeous baby, who was nice enough to sit on my lap, giggle at me, and give a big infusion of happy-baby-love to my morning. Then I came home to Maya, who crawled all over me, licking my ears and face and pushing the laptop aside to get into my lap and Stay There, firmly planted. (I've gotten very good at typing with a 36-lb. dog in my lap. It's difficult, but it can be done!) Today is Patrick's last full day of work, so he's only got one more half-day before a full month of vacation, and I can't wait.

Now on to the rest of the present-wrapping, so those presents can at least be mailed before Christmas...